Utilization of acid-coke.



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GEORGE I. PRICHARD, 01E PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR T0 GULF BEFINING QOI'IIPANY, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, All. CORPORATION OF TEXAS.

' UTILIZATION OF ACID-COKE.

rea ers.

We Drawing.

To all "whom it may concern: 1

Be, it known that I, GEORGE L. PRICHARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Port Arthur, in the county of Jefferson and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Utilization of Acid-Coke, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the utilization of acid coke; and it comprises a method of utilizing the coky matter from the treatment of mineral oils with sulfuric aeid,wherein suck eoky matter is mingled'with a heavy oil and kept in suspension by suitable agitating means, such as an air blast, and while so suspended is conveyed to a place of use by pumps or the like and at such place of use is burned while still in admixture with said heavy oil; all as more fully hereinafter set fort-h and as claimed.

As is well known, the customary method of treating mineral oils is to agitate the smile with sulfuric acid. This has the effect of removing unsaturated hydrocarbons,

benzenoid bodies, etc. After the treatment is complete, the sulfuric acid settles as acid sludge. This sludge contains a considerable amount of oil which is separated and recovered by various methods. The oil so recovered is known as acid oil or sludge oil. The final oil-freed product 'of these recovery methods is a hard, solid, coky mass, somewhat similar in physical properties to a very hard asphalt, or an asphalt concrete, and consisting in substance of grains or granules of coky carbon cemented together with asphalt or asphalt-like matter. It is ordinarily burnt for the sake of its fuel value. It still contains some acid and this renders its handling and utilization dif ficult; the difficulty being of course accentuated by the physical form of such material. It is the common practice totransifer this material, which may be hereinafter called acid (,OliQ. in cars or buckets, from the point of origin to the point of consumption, which is generally 2L 'fllll1i\('0, such as a boiler furlt is sometimes fed into the furnaces nace. by workmen handling t with shovels; but this is laborious and unsatisfactory.

stated, the material is very much like an asphalt physically. Somctn'nes the coky mass is delivered into bins fromwhich it is allowed to flow into the furnace through large troughs while still hot enough tobe Specification of Letters Patent.

.oil and ae1d coke can As v Patented Jan. 't, rain.

Application filed May 2, 1917. Serial No. 166,007.

flowable.- In the furnace it does not burn readily; imperfect combustion usually occurring with formation of large volumes. of smoke. As acid coke is usually burnt, it is not only apt to create a nuisance but its combustible value is not well utilized and the operation isexpensive because of the labor involved. And the whole equipment for delivering the material to the furnace must be either made of costly acid proof ina terial or renewed frequently.

I have found that a satisfactory method of handling and utilizing this material is to eommingle it with fuel oil which dissolves or softens the asphalt constituents and forms a mass or magma which can be pumped and handled. factorily with ordinary firing means, while the mixture is not corrosive, the oil enveloping the acid-carrying; coke particles. Other cheap oils from the refinerymay also be utilized. An advantageous mixture may be afforded by taking 1 part acid oil of 0.954 specifiegravity, 1 part Texas asphaltum oil of about 0.9825 specific gravity and 1 part of acid coke of about 1.197 specific gravity.

The coke may be mingled with the oil in mixing apparatus through a perforated,

Any othe agitating meansmay be but air agitating is convenient and effective. The proportions and character .of oil given above are merely indicative and refer to one ptlltltfllltil acid coke. Other, acid cokes of a. somewhat drier character require somewhat more oil, while, on the other hand, a. softer acid coke requires somewhat less. The hot agitated mixture may be conveycd to a point of use through any suit able conduit, such as iron or steel pipes, by means of ordinary pumps. As the requirements of fuel burning furnaces vary from time to timewhile it is inadvisable tostop or check the flow of the oil-coke mixture when once establishedsince this might permit settling and separation, it is in general used,

advisable to have the agitating and conas there may be to the point" of beginning; or, in other words, the agitated mixture of oil' and coke may be kept in cyclic circulation with Withdrawal from the flow of the 5 amount required for firing. While the acid coke is a corrosive material per 86, yet, when mingled With oil in the manner described the mixture may be safely handled in iron or steel. The mixture should be kept in mel tion from thepoint of manufacture to the point of dischargewbut otherwise its treatment in no wise dilfers ordinal" fluid residuum used for fuel pur poses. Atthe burners it may be sprayed 1 orotherwise handled by any of the means commonly adopted for similar purposes in handling i fuel oil. The mixture. burns readily and perfect combustion may be cured without the usual large volume of smoke attending the combustion of the coke alone. Handling of the material by WOI'l( 'men is not necessary at any point.

lVhat I claim is 1. The method of utilizing acid coke from sludge acid which, comprises mingling the from that of any samew-ith heated oil. and burning the mix t'nre.

2. The method of utilizing acid COlfl! from sludge acid which comprises mingling the same with heated oil to form a llon'ablc mixture, transporting it to a point of use under constant agitation and burning the mixture.

3. The method of utilizing acid coke from sludge acid which comprises mingling such acid coke with sufiicient oil to make a flowable mixture, establishing and maintaining a cyclic flow of agitated mixture from the point of admixture to another point and back again and at an intern'zediate point tapping off and burning a, portion of the flowing mixture.

4-. The method of utilizing acid coke from sludge acid which comprises softening the coky material with enough oil to render the mixture fluid and delivering the softened material to a fire.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature hereto.

GEORGE L. PRICHAHD. 

